Last week, 70 members of the legal community gathered in Toronto to celebrate Eddie Greenspan’s 40th year as a criminal lawyer. The guests who attended the exclusive event at the Jamie Kennedy Gardiner restaurant were all lawyers who had either worked for or with Eddie over the course of his career thus far.
Although more than one of the night’s speakers called Eddie a legend in his own time, praise for the esteemed criminal lawyer was limited. Instead, most of the remarks were in the style of the roast – designed to lovingly poke fun at Canada’s top criminal lawyer. Past and present partners (including Eddie’s daughter, Julianna Greenspan), Court of Appeal judges (Rosenberg and Moldaver), and Crown lawyers took turns harping on their colleague’s shortcomings and quirks, as well as his sleeping and eating habits.
I made the guest list based on a short stint at Eddie’s office as part of a secondment during my Bay Street articles back in 2002. Certainly the most memorable part of that year.
Pictured above: Event organizers Marie Henein (Henein & Associates), Julianna Greenspan (Greenspan Partners), and Alison Wheeler (Ministry of the Attorney General) with Eddie Greenspan.
Photo courtesy of Robert Greenfield.